I have one huge beef with the classic American car scene, and it’s that you tend to just see the same stuff over and over and over again. Mustang, Camaro, GTO, Bel-Air. There’s so much great vintage American iron that goes unloved, like this 1969 AMC AMX.

Victoria Vetri, better known as Angela Dorian, was the Playmate of the Year in 1968 and got a pink AMX as a trophy. Then came Roman Polanski, the Manson Murders, and a nine year prison sentence four decades later.

Despite having a timeless Richard Teague design, TransAm racing cred, and being the car that would break AMC out of its George Romney-era economy-car mold, the AMC Javelin's hi-po AMX version always appeared uncomfortable in its own skin. But will a total, pro-touring makeover solve its issues?